"Do not be afraid — for
I Myself will help you — declares the Lord, your
Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 41:14

Today, let us hear the
Lord Jesus speak to each one of us: "I Myself will help
you! It is but a small thing for Me, your God, to help
you. Consider what I have done already. What! not help you?
Why, I bought you with My blood. What! not help
you? Why, I have died for you! And if I have done
the greater — will I not do the lesser? Help you? Before the
world began — I chose you. I laid aside My glory
and became a man for you. I gave up My life for you! And if
I did all this — I will surely help you now. If you had need
of a thousand times as much help — I would give it to you.
You require little, compared with what I am ready to give.
It is much for you to need — but it is nothing for
Me to bestow.

What! not help you? Fear
not! If there were an ant at the
door of your granary, asking for help — it
would not ruin you to give him a handful of your wheat! Just
so, you are nothing but a tiny insect at the door of My
all-sufficiency!"

"I Myself will help you!" O my soul, is not this
enough? Bring your empty pitcher here! Surely this well
will fill it. Hasten! gather up your needs, and bring
them here — your emptiness, your woes, your troubles.
Behold, this river of God is full for your supply.
What more can you desire? The Eternal God is your helper!

"The Lord is with me — He
is my helper!" Psalm 118:7

~
~ ~ ~

The
evangelistic methods of our present golden-calf
Christianity!

(A.W. Tozer)

Any objection to the evangelistic methods of our present
golden-calf Christianity, is met with
the triumphant reply, "But we are winning the lost!"

And what are
you winning them to?

To true discipleship?
To cross-carrying?
To self-denial?
To separation from the world?
To crucifixion of the flesh?
To holy living?
To nobility of character?
To a despising of the world's treasures?
To total committal to Christ?

One way in which a really humble Christian shows himself, is
by having a high opinion of others. Paul says, "In lowliness
of mind — let each esteem other better than himself." "Honor
one another above yourselves."

Whenever you see a person who appears to take every
opportunity of putting down others — mark
him down as a proud man — and be sure that he
does it in order to exalt himself!

On the other hand, whenever you see any one anxious to hide
his brother's failings, unwilling to expose his little
defects — you will generally find that he is a humble man,
and one who deeply feels the many faults of his own
character.

A humble Christian will feel that he owes everything to
God's grace and love. This was Paul's feeling:
'By the grace of God, I am what I am.'
'To me, who am less than the least of all saints — is this
grace given.'

No one can be said to be really humble, unless he is fully
persuaded that he has no merit whatever of his own. When
anyone feels himself to be vile and sinful, and is convinced
that he deserves nothing but eternal damnation — then how
wonderful and glorious does the love of God appear in
providing salvation for him!

Now, can you feel this? Can you say, "Thank God for having
taught me this. I see it clearly. I am nothing — and
infinite mercy alone can save me from the Hell I so truly
deserve!"

I am certain of this — that it is
only the humble who can feel the value of a Savior,
and who will cordially and thankfully accept His offers of
mercy. One of the first things therefore that the gospel of
Christ does for us is . . .
to humble us;
to show us what we are — and what we deserve;
to strip us of all our false coverings; and
to place Christ before us as the only refuge for
penitent sinners!

Well indeed it is, if your heart has been thus humbled — so
that you feel inclined to lie low at the feet of Jesus, and
to cling to His precious cross alone for safety.

I need not ask whether Christ is dear to you. He must be —
for now that you are enabled to lay hold of Him by faith,
you would not for the whole world exchange your
treasure! You may be poor — but you can hardly
call it poverty if you possess Christ. You may have trials
and sorrows — but how light is every one of them,
now that you can feel you have a dear Friend by your side,
who can turn all your sorrows into joys!

~
~ ~ ~

I tremble for the amount of worldliness which
prevails in some professing Christian families!

I tremble for the amount of
worldliness which prevails in some professing Christian
families! There is a great danger, lest
pleasure and excitement should be regarded as the one object
to be sought after — lest Jesus should be robbed of His true
allegiance, and hearts, born for higher and better things —
should be drawn down to earth, and riveted there by a chain
which is not easily broken!

Oh, how soon, how fatally soon — we pass, imperceptibly
perhaps, from things lawful to those which are doubtful
— and then a step further, to those which are positively sinful!
How soon does the heart, in which there was once a spark of
the love of Christ — become chilled and warped by its
contact with the world! How soon does the reading of light
and frivolous books take the place of that precious Word,
which is truth itself! And how soon is communion with God,
exchanged for fellowship with the world!

I do indeed tremble for those who are dreaming away the best
portion of their lives, who are spending them in vanity and
emptiness — and will one day wake up with the miserable
feeling that they have lived to no real purpose!

Did our Lord live thus, when here on earth? Did the early
Christians live thus? Then we cannot live thus. No, unless
we are willing to give up the Savior, whom we have pledged
ourselves to follow, and the glorious inheritance we profess
to be living for!

The question is: Are we candidates for everlasting
happiness? If we are — then we must live, not for
this world, but for eternity. Our hearts and our treasure
must be there!

But there is a danger into which some fall. There are some
people who imagine that they are giving up the world — when,
in fact, they are merely transferring their attachment from
one class of worldliness to fix it upon another. Parties and
theaters are perhaps put aside — when other amusements of a
kindred nature, and scarcely less attractive, are indulged
in. This however is not self-denial — it is still enjoying
the world, though in another shape — it is turning aside
from one kind of self-pleasing, that we may indulge in
another.

How sad to think that our best and truest Friend should ever
be forcibly excluded from our hearts — and the world with
all its trifles let in!

Ought we not then, as followers of Christ, to stand aside
from a thoughtless, trifling world? Is not the beaten path,
sometimes an unsafe path? Is not the stream that flows the
smoothest, sometimes nearest to the precipice? Take care
lest you are gliding down the stream of this world —
lest you are walking in the broad road which hundreds walk
in, and then suddenly find out that it is the way of eternal
destruction!

Another reason why we should not love the world, is because
its joys are at best unsatisfying. They are like
alcohol to a thirsty man, which only make him thirst the
more. They will never satisfy his desire, but only feed it.
The worldly man, whether he is seeking after earthly
pleasures, or earthly gains — is ever seeing a paradise in
the distance; but the nearer he approaches it, the more sure
it is to vanish, like an optical illusion, from his sight.

There is another reason why you should not love the world —
and that is because it is only temporary — its joys
and gains are merely for a time. There is a shifting,
fleeting, fading character about them.

This world is but a tent, spread out for our present
abode — Heaven is a building of God, not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens.

This world is but a passing shadow — Heaven an enduring
substance.

This world a pilgrimage — Heaven is a home.

This world is a desert — Heaven a paradise.

This world is a strange land — Heaven is the place of our
citizenship.

This world abounds with storms — Heaven is a universal calm.

This world is full of changes — in Heaven our lot will be
forever fixed.

This world is the abode of sin, and shame, and sorrow —
Heaven is a scene of holiness, of glory, and of God.

It is not, I know, easy to take a decided and unworldly
course. It will cost you much. Your conduct will be carped
at, and counted as folly. Yes, the stream is
strong — and you must stem it. The way is steep and
narrow — we do not deny it. But then how blessed it is to be
following Christ! How safe are those who are walking closely
by His side!

No, we cannot serve two masters! We cannot drink the cup of
the Lord — and yet quaff the sweet but poisonous cup of
the world!

Oh, remember, the world may be in your heart — though not in
your actions! You may love the world, and secretly pine
after it — though you have outwardly renounced it. It is a
great thing to be honest with ourselves — for God
is not mocked. If you really desire to follow Jesus and to
renounce the world, you must mortify your earthly affections
— and raise them to things above. "Since,
then, you have been raised with Christ — set your hearts
on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand
of God. Set your minds on things above — not on earthly
things!" Colossians 3:1-2

"Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as
wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days
are evil." Ephesians 5:15-16

To use our time well and wisely, is a matter of the
greatest importance — for oh, how quickly is it passing
away! We should seize our opportunities while they exist,
and 'gather up the fragments which remain, that nothing be
lost.'

The value of time — its exceeding preciousness — is
beyond measure. Our days and hours hasten by, never to
return. They are like water, which, when once spilt,
cannot be gathered up again. They are like the rays of the
sun, which at the moment may warm and invigorate us, but
cannot be laid up for future use. Our lives are very short
at best — and on the manner in which they are spent, will
depend our condition forever.

Who can say how important is every moment which is given to
us? It may be turned to good
account — or it may be wasted, or misspent.
No wonder then that we are charged, 'Be very careful, then,
how you live — not as unwise but as wise' — like travelers
on a dangerous road, looking around them on every side, and
prepared for any difficulty which may suddenly arise. We
should live cautiously and carefully, 'making the most of
every opportunity, because the days are evil.'

What shall we say of those who let days, and months, and
years pass — without thinking of anything beyond their own
ease and enjoyment? Time is to them as a tale that is told,
which is soon forgotten. It is like a vapor, which rises
before them — but is speedily swept away, and is gone
forever. One day is like another — all equally unprofitable
— all gone to waste — nothing done for God or for eternity —
a number of precious opportunities, but not one of them
improved! We have, many of us, done but little in the way of
'redeeming the time.' We have allowed it to pass by
unimproved.

Bear in mind then that we all have our opportunities —
opportunities of doing good, opportunities of benefitting
our fellow-creatures, opportunities of doing some work for
God — and for every one of these opportunities, we must give
an account.

Again, our time is very, very short — and all depends upon
the right employment of it. Remember that our time is
becoming shorter every day!

"So teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
Psalm 90:12

A humble Christian is one who not only considers himself
to be nothing — but is willing to be thought so by others.
There is a vast difference between knowing our own faults —
and being willing that others should know them. It
is very mortifying to be accounted nothing in the eyes of
our fellow-men. Now, the really humble man is content to
bear this. He has no wish to be more highly esteemed than he
deserves — in fact, the flattery
of his brethren is distasteful to him!

And yet how utterly contrary is this to our natural
feelings! The Drunkard would not wish his neighbors to know
that he drinks — he would conceal it if he could.
The Dishonest man would wish to appear honest before
others.

And why all this desire at concealment? It is because people
are anxious to keep up a good image before their
fellow creatures — although they may have lost it with Him
who knows all. The truth is, they 'love the praise of men,
more than the praise of God.'

What a dangerous snare this is! To be thought well of
by our brethren, and to stand high in their opinion — is too
eagerly sought after by most of us. We have need not only to
fight against the fear of man — but also, and still
more, against the love and esteem of man. The esteem
of godly men is well, as far as it goes; but it is clearly
wrong to be always craving after it. We should
rather feel that anything like flattering praise
would be hurtful to us — and on that account we should
shrink from it, and try to put it away from us.

It is hard, I know, to bring ourselves to this. To pray that
we may become low in our own eyes — needs some grace.
But to pray that we may be content to be lowered in the eyes
of those around us — needs a large amount of grace!

Suppose you were to be informed that one, who stood high for
his religious attainments, had expressed an unfavorable
opinion of you — would not this be very displeasing? But I
am inclined to think that a true Christian, though he would
feel a little nettled at the time — would be able to thank
God for anything which keeps down his pride, and sets
him in his proper place!

The day is soon coming, when we shall be taken off the false
heights which we often stand upon, and be brought to
our true level — when all the esteem of others shall vanish
and pass away like smoke — and we shall be just what God
finds us to be, neither more nor less!

No one really desires to go to Hell
— though there are few indeed who are willing to forsake
that broad road which inevitably leads there."Enter through the narrow gate.
For wide is the gate and broad is the road that
leads to destruction, and many enter through it.But small is the gate and narrow
the road that leads to life, and only a few find it!"
Matthew 7:13-14

~
~ ~ ~

Our doctrine is utterly meaningless!

(Don Fortner)

"Adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things." Titus
2:10

The study of the Bible should always be practical and
applicable to our lives day by day. That is to say,
we are to set forth in our lives as well as in our doctrine
— the beauty, glory, and attractiveness of the gospel of
Christ. We must have our lives regulated and
governed by the gospel.

Let us take great care to conform our lives to our doctrine.
Doctrine and duty cannot be separated.
Every truth discovered in the Word of God ought to be applied
to our lives. If our character and conduct does not
reflect the grace and glory of God revealed in the gospel, our doctrine is utterly meaningless!

Gospel preachers are responsible to pointedly apply the
gospel to the daily affairs and responsibilities of men and
women in this world. It is every pastor's
responsibility to faithfully to teach people how to live in
this world for the glory of Christ, applying the Word of God
to every area of life. It is the responsibility of God's saints
to obey the gospel, applying it personally to every area of
their lives.

Always be prepared to give up any doctrine or practice that
is not found in holy Scripture and to embrace anything
revealed in the Book of God — no matter what the sacrifice,
no matter what the consequence.

"Finally, brothers, we instructed you
how to live in order to please God, as in fact you
are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus
to do this more and more." 1 Thessalonians 4:1

"I was silent; I would not open my mouth — for You are the one who has done this!"Psalm 39:9

"Be still, and know that I am God."Psalm
46:10

This stillness and
silence befits us, when God lifts up
His arm to afflict us. It is of little use at such times to
struggle against His almighty power — to be restless and
complaining when His heavy hand is laid upon us. Our wisdom
is . . .
to bear the burden which oppresses us with patience,
to submit cheerfully to the will of God, and
to kiss the painful rod which scourges us.

We should remember that our Father does not afflict His
children willingly, that is, for His own pleasure — but for
their profit. He loves them; and when He punishes them, it
is for their discipline, and to make them what He would have
them to be — partakers of His holiness.

We should look at our afflictions in this light — and not
let a murmur escape our lips! Our language should be, "It is
the Lord — let Him do what seems good to Him!" 1 Samuel 3:18

It is often our duty, in the hour of trial or of difficulty,
to be still, to lie passive in God's hands, "to
hope, and quietly to wait for the salvation of the Lord."

"And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine
and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers."
Acts 2:42

Without Biblical authority, or any other right under the sun
— carnal religious leaders have introduced a host of attractions
that serve no purpose except toprovide entertainment for the retarded saints!

It is now common practice in most evangelical churches to
offer the people, especially the young people, a maximum of
entertainment — and a minimum of serious instruction. It is
scarcely possible in most places to get anyone to attend a
meeting where the only attraction is God. One can only
conclude that God's professed children are bored with Him,
for they must be wooed to meeting with a stick of striped
candy, in the form of religious movies, games and
refreshments.

This has influenced the whole pattern of church life, and
even brought into being a new type of church architecture,
designed to house the golden calf. So we have the
strange anomaly of orthodoxy in creed — and heterodoxy
in practice. The striped
candy technique has been so fully integrated
into our present religious thinking, that it is simply taken
for granted. Its victims never dream that it is not a part
of the teachings of Christ and His apostles!

Ministers do great spiritual harm by departing in the
slightest degree from the Scriptural proportions of the
gospel, or by trying to win the world by dressing the simple
old Evangelical faith in new clothes.

The world is never won by trimming, and compromising, by
facing both ways, and trying to please all.

The cross of Christ is never made more acceptable by sawing off its corners, or by
polishing, varnishing, and adorning it.

Let us hold on our way, and be jealously sensitive of any
departure from the simplicity of the gospel. Popularity
obtained by pandering to the senses or the sentiment of our
hearers — is not worth anything. Worshipers who are not
content with the Bible, the cross of Christ, simple prayers
and simple praise — are worshipers of little value. It is
useless to try to please them — because their spiritual
taste is diseased.

~
~ ~ ~

If only one of God's sheep were to perish!

(Darvin Pruitt)

"My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I
give them eternal life, and they will never perish —
ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand!" John
10:27-28
If only one of God's sheep were to perish . .
.
the purpose of God would be frustrated,
the power of God would be resisted,
the promise of God would be broken,
the faithfulness of God would be a mockery
and the Word of God proved to be a lie.

"I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels
nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any
powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all
creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!" Romans 8:38-39

Of all the temptations to which God's children are exposed,
growing rich is perhaps the
most dangerous of all because it is a snare
that they do not dread.

"For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take
nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will
be content with that. People who want to get rich
fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and
harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some
people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and
pierced themselves with many griefs!" 1 Timothy 6:7-10

Let me warn men not to be shaken by those who say that all
visible Churches are necessarily corrupt. There never have
been lacking men of this kind, men who have forgotten that
everything must be imperfect which is carried on by human
agency, and have spent their lives in a vain search after
a perfectly pure Church.

Fault-finding is the easiest of all
tasks. There never was a system upon earth,
in which man had anything to do, in which faults, and many
faults too, might not soon be found. We must expect to
find imperfections in every visible Church upon earth.
There always were such in the New Testament Churches. There
always will be such now. There is only one Church without
spot or blemish — that is the one true Church, the
body of Christ, which Christ shall present to His Father in
the last great day.

Where is the visible Church upon earth, which is perfect,
without spot, and without blemish? None, I say confidently —
none is to be found at all. Many people of scrupulous
consciences, I firmly believe, have found this to their cost
already. They left the Church because of alleged
imperfections.

If we belong to the true Church, let us see that we
love all its members. Let our principle be, "Grace be with
all who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity." (Ephesians
6:24) Wherever we find a man who has grace and faith — let
us hold out our right hand to him. Let us not stop to ask
him where he was baptized, and what place of worship he
attends. Does he love Jesus? Is be born again? Then let us
say to ourselves, "This is a brother. We are to be with him
in Heaven by-and-by forever. Let us love him upon earth. If
we are to be in the same home — let us love each other even
now upon the road."

~
~ ~ ~

The great god Entertainment!

(A.W. Tozer, 1955)

The great god Entertainment
is ardently worshiped by many. There are millions who cannot
live without amusement — life without some form of
entertainment for them is simply intolerable. They look
forward to the blessed relief afforded by professional
entertainers and other forms of psychological narcotics — as
a dope addict looks to his daily fix of heroin.
Without them, they could not summon courage to face
existence.

No one with common human feeling will object to the simple
pleasures of life, nor to such harmless forms of
entertainment as may help to relax the nerves and refresh
the mind exhausted by toil. Such things, if used with
discretion, may be a blessing along the way. That is one
thing. But the all-out devotion to entertainment as
a major activity for which men live, is definitely something
else. The abuse of a harmless thing is sin.

The growth of the
amusement phase of human life to such fantastic proportions
is a portent, a threat to the souls of modern men. It has
been built into a multimillion dollar racket with greater
power over human minds and human character, than any other
educational influence on earth. And the ominous thing is,
that its power is almost exclusively evil, rotting the inner
life, and crowding out the eternal thoughts which should
fill the souls of men. The whole thing has grown into a
veritable religion which holds its devotees with a
strange fascination — and a religion, incidentally, against
which it is now dangerous to speak.

For centuries the Church stood solidly against every form of
worldly entertainment, recognizing it for what it was — a
device for wasting time, a refuge from the disturbing voice
of conscience, a scheme to divert attention from
accountability to God. For this, she got herself roundly
abused by the sons of this world. But of late she has become
tired of the abuse, and has given up the struggle. She
appears to have decided that if she cannot conquer the great
god Entertainment — she may as well join forces with
him and make what use she can of his powers.

So today we have the astonishing spectacle of millions of
dollars being poured into the unholy job of providing
earthly entertainment for the so-called Christians.
Religious entertainment is in many places rapidly crowding
out the serious things of God. Many churches these days have
become little more than poor theaters where fifth-rate
"producers" peddle their shoddy wares with the full
approval of evangelical leaders, who can even quote a
holy text in defense of their delinquency. And hardly a man
dares raise his voice against it!

The great god Entertainment amuses his devotees
mainly by telling them stories. The love of stories, which
is a characteristic of childhood, has taken fast hold of the
minds of the retarded saints of our day — so much so that
many manage to make a comfortable living by spinning
yarns and serving them up in various disguises to church
people. What is natural and beautiful in a child, may
be shocking when it persists into adulthood, and more so
when it appears in the sanctuary and seeks to pass for true
religion!

Is it not astonishing that, with the shadow of atomic
destruction hanging over the world and with the coming of
Christ drawing near — the professed followers of the Lord
should be giving themselves up to religious amusements? That
in an hour when mature saints are so desperately needed —
vast numbers of believers should revert to spiritual
childhood, and clamor for religious toys?

Shall I say what seems to me to be the clearest proof
that man is a fallen and corrupt creature?

It is not open vice, or unblushing profligacy.

It is not the crowded ale-house, or the murderer's cell in a
jail.

It is not avowed infidelity, or gross and despicable
idolatry.

All these are proofs, and convincing proofs indeed, that man
is fallen. But there is to my mind a stronger proof still —
that proof is the wide-spread "spirit of slumber" about
their souls, in which most men lie chained and bound. When I
see that multitudes of sensible men, and intelligent men,
and decent-living men — can travel quietly towards the
grave, and feel no concern about their sins, I need no more
convincing evidence that man is "born in sin," and that his
heart is alienated from God. There is no avoiding the
conclusion.

Man is naturally asleep — and must be awakened.
He is blind — and must be made to see.
He is dead — and must be made alive.

No heart is in so bad a state, as the heart that does not
feel sin!

Light was the first thing called into being. When God
created the world, He said, "Let there be light." (Genesis
1:3) In the same way, light is the first thing that the Holy
Spirit creates in a man's heart, when He awakens, converts,
and makes him a true Christian. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

For lack of seeing sin — men do not value salvation.Once let a man get a sight of his
own heart, and he will begin to cry, "God be
merciful to me a sinner!"

To know our spiritual disease — is one step towards a cure.
To feel bad and wicked and Hell-deserving — is the first
beginning of being really holy.

What though we are humbled to the dust, and cry, "Lord, I am
vile! Lord, I am the very chief of sinners!" It is better a
thousand times to have these feelings and be miserable under
them — than to have no feelings at all. Anything is better
than a dead conscience, and a cold heart, and a prayer-less
tongue!

Ignorance of self and sin are the
root of all mischief to the soul!

~
~ ~ ~

Sign here!

(F.B. Meyer, "The
Blessed Life")

Dear Christian reader,
seek some quiet spot, some still hour, and yield yourself to
God.

Make a definite
consecration of yourselves to God. With most it would be
sufficient to write out Miss Havergal's hymn, "Take my
life, and let it be," and to sign your name at the
bottom.

Take my life and
let it be — consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days — let them flow
in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move — at the impulse of
Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be — swift and beautiful
for Thee.

Take my voice
and let me sing — always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be — filled with messages
from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold — not a mite would I
withhold.
Take my intellect and use — every power as Thou
shalt choose.

Take my will and
make it Thine — it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is Thine own — it shall be Thy
royal throne.
Take my love my Lord, I pour — at Thy feet its
treasure store.
Take myself and I will be — ever, only, all for
Thee!

The way is slippery, and our feet are feeble — but the Lord
will keep our feet. If we give ourselves up by obedient
faith to be His holy ones — He will Himself be our guardian.
Not only will He charge His angels to keep us — but He
Himself will preserve our goings!

He will keep our feet from falling, so that we do
not . . .
defile our garments,
wound our souls, and
cause the enemy to blaspheme.

He will keep our feet from wandering — so that we do
not go into paths of error, or ways of folly, or courses of
the world's custom.

He will keep our feet from swelling and blistering
because of the roughness and length of the way.

He will keep our feet from being wounded. Our shoes
shall be iron and brass, so that even though we tread on the
edge of the sword, or on deadly serpents, we shall not
bleed, or be poisoned.

He will also pluck our feet out of the net. We shall
not be entangled by the deceit of our malicious and crafty
foes.

With such a promise as this, let us run without weariness,
and walk without fear. He who keeps our feet, will do it
effectually!

In many churches, Christianity has been watered down
until the solution is so weak . . .
that if it were poison — it would not hurt
anyone;
and if it were medicine — it would not cure
anyone!

We must have a new reformation! There must come a violent
break with that irresponsible,
amusement-mad paganized pseudo-religion which
passes today for the faith of Christ and which is being
spread all over the world by unspiritual men employing
unscriptural methods to achieve their unspiritual ends!

~
~ ~ ~

The Bible!

(Thomas Guthrie)

"Oh, how I love Your Law! I meditate on it all day long!"Psalm 119:97

The Bible is . . .
an armory of heavenly weapons,
a pharmacy of infallible medicines,
a mine of exhaustless wealth,
a guidebook for every road,
a chart for every sea,
a medicine for every malady, and
a balm for every wound!
Rob us of our Bible, and our sky has lost its sun!

"Your
Words were found, and I ate them — and
Your Word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart!"Jeremiah 15:16

~
~ ~ ~

The first lesson in the school of
tribulation!

(Walter Purton, "Lessons of Peace in the School of
Affliction" 1868)

"Affliction does not come forth from the dust — neither does
trouble spring out of the ground." Job 5:6

Why has this trial come? How ought I to regard affliction?
These questions are natural in seasons of suffering. Pain
and sorrow make us ask in earnest, the why and the
wherefore of what befalls us. And so the soul finds
a time of trial, to be a time of education.

The first lesson in the school of
tribulation, is that affliction is the
visitation of God. "The Lord gave, and the Lord has
taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Job 1:21

Nothing in any man's life comes to him by "chance." All
things, both small and great, are under the control of God.
He foresees, and limits, and disposes. What is sometimes
called "good fortune" — comes not by accident; neither does
trouble spring out of the ground.

Am I healthy and prosperous? It is the will of God.
Am I suffering in body or in mind? It is the Lord — let Him
do what seems good unto Him. This is the only answer that
can be given to the weak and sorely tempted ones, whom one
trial after another afflict with increasing sorrows, "So it
pleases God! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right!"

To the believer, Providence is not merely general
and universal, but particular and personal.
"Even the very hairs of your
head are all numbered!" Matthew 10:30. The
believer looks to his own particular afflictions, as the
dispensations of Divine Providence. To myself, affliction
comes as the special visitation of God; and, looking
above second causes, the word of trust from my soul
should go forth, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is
listening."

Affliction must not therefore be received as a burden, laid
on by a blind and cruel fate — it is given by my
wise and loving Father! Nor must I regard it as a
"misfortune" — as an unmixed evil, which comes by chance,
and is to be received with unconcern. Affliction does not
come forth from the dust — it is from God. It is sent in
mercy and wisdom — yes, and in power. "For He bruises, but
He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole." Job 5:18.
His visitation is rich in lessons of comfort, of strength
and of peace — for all things work together for good to His
obedient children. Yes, ALL things!

"O Lord my God, bless this trial which You have sent. Teach
me to feel that Your hand is laid upon me. Help me
to know that You are speaking unto my soul. May I look on
affliction as Your Fatherly visitation — a token of
Your love, and wisdom, and power.

"Almighty Father, You have told me that all things are under
Your control — not a sparrow falls to the ground unnoticed.
Lord, teach me to believe in Your love for me. Oh, help me
to feel Your wise guidance and control! Aid me to see that
this affliction is sent for my good. O my God, increase my
faith. Remove from me doubts and carnal-mindedness. May Your
Spirit cleanse and sanctify my soul. Teach me to humbly
submit to Your will. By patience and faith may I please You,
submitting to sufferings because You send them for my good.

"Teach me that pain and sorrow are Your heavenly
messengers. Enlighten my eyes, that so I may say of
affliction — it is Your doing. To me, have You sent
this. Not by chance, but in wisdom, and with loving purpose
it has come. Oh, Lord, do with me what seems good to You.
Help me to feel that my lot is wisely ordained. If it is in
accordance with Your holy and blessed will — then remove
this trial. But if You see fit still to afflict me — then
teach me truly to pray, "May Your will be done!"
Hear me, O God, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen."

Meditate, dear friends, upon the whole range of God's works
in Creation and Providence. There was a
period when God dwelt alone — and creatures were not. In that time before all time,
when there was no day but "The Ancient of Days," when matter
and created mind were alike unborn, and even space
was not — God, the great I AM, was as perfect, glorious,
and as blessed as He is now.

There was no sun — and yet Jehovah dwelt in
ineffable light.
There was no earth — and yet His throne stood fast
and firm.
There were no heavens — and yet His glory was
unbounded.

God inhabited eternity in the infinite majesty and happiness
of His self-contained greatness. If the Lord, thus abiding
in solemn solitude, should choose to create anything — the
first thought and idea must come from Him, for there was no
other to think or suggest. All things must be of Him in
design. With whom can He take counsel? Who shall instruct
Him? There existed no other to come into His
council-chamber, even if such an assistance could be
supposable with the Most High.

In the beginning of His way, before His works of old,
eternal wisdom brought forth from its own mind the perfect
plan of future creations, and every line and mark therein
must clearly have been of the Lord alone.

He ordained the pathway of every planet — and fixed
the abode of every star. He poured forth the sweet
influences of the Pleiades, and girt Orion with its bands.
He appointed the bounds of the sea, and settled the
course of the winds. As to the earth, the
Lord alone planned its foundations, and stretched His line
upon it.

He formed in His own mind, the mold of all His creatures,
and found for them a dwelling and a service. He appointed
the degree of strength with which He would endow
each creature, settled its months of life, its hour
of death, its coming and its going.

Divine wisdom mapped this earth — its flowing rivers
and foaming seas, the towering mountains, and the laughing
valleys. The divine Architect fixed the gates of the morning
— and the doors of the shadow of death.

Nothing could have been suggested by any other, for there
was no other to suggest. It was in His power to have
made a universe very different from this — if He had so
pleased. That He has made it what it is, must have
been merely because in His wisdom and prudence, He saw fit
to do so.

"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to
receive glory and honor and power — for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and
have their being!" Revelation 4:11

"They will be Mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day
when I make up My jewels!" Malachi 3:17

The promise of God is that His saints shall be as the jewels
of a crown — yes, they shall shine in the Royal diadem! The
Lord delights to call them His
jewels!

What a price has been paid for the saints — the Son of God
purchased them with His own blood! Are they not valuable in
His sight? How precious are those whom Jehovah calls
His jewels! Bought with such an inestimable price!

But the saints are likened unto jewels, also because our
souls need cutting and purifying. A
diamond seems to be a mere pebble — until the jeweler's
hands give it shape and smoothness. Skill and patient toil
so transform it, that everyone takes pleasure it its beauty
and brightness.

Likewise is it with our souls. Divine grace removes defects,
and beautifies. The sharp edge of affliction, directed
by the hand of Infinite Love — makes perfect. No
longer rough and unsightly, but beautiful and glorious — the
precious workmanship of God becomes His delight. It is made
fit for the Royal diadem, in which it will shine throughout
eternity — reflecting all-gloriously the majesty of the King
of Kings!

"Look, I have refined you, but not as silver; I
have purified you in the furnace of affliction!"
Isaiah 48:10

To purify gold or silver, the refiner puts it into a furnace.
Great heat separates the dross from the precious metal. Out
of the fire, comes forth the precious substance clean and
pure.

So likewise with the child of God. The character may be true
gold — yet not pure gold. And so the Lord's
mercy says, "I will turn my hand upon you, and purely purge
away your dross. I will purify you in the furnace of
affliction!" Yes, even as in great heat gold is tried — so
in the sharpness of pain and sorrow, does God test and
purify His redeemed children.

Let me, then, think it not strange concerning the fiery
trial which is afflicting me. This testing of my faith is
the gracious dealing of the Refiner, who seeks to cleanse
me. In the furnace of affliction, God's mercy wills to purify
me. May I strive to say, as righteous Job said: "When He has tried me — I shall come
forth as gold!"

The pain of passing through the fire is keen. The fiery test
is not easily endured. Such is our nature, that we all
shrink from the furnace of affliction. Indeed, it is very
hard to bear the of pain of bodily weakness.
But the Refiner's love chooses the trial!
His wisdom limits it!
His power strengthens us to bear it!

O Lord God, sanctify this trial according to Your wisdom.
From pride and self-will; from earthliness of temper; from
carnal lusts and sensual imaginations — purify my soul. Make
me humble, trustful, gentle, heavenly-minded. In suffering,
may I know that You are blessing me. Free my soul
from earthly baseness, and beautify it with holiness. Make
me, O Lord, like unto pure gold — a vessel fit for
Your use and bright with Your glory!

There is grief in my spirit when I go into the average
church, for we have become a generation rapidly losing all
sense of divine sacredness and reverence in
our worship. God has been abridged, reduced, modified,
edited, changed and amended — until He is no longer the God
whom Isaiah saw, high and lifted up!

We've reduced the God of Abraham and Jacob, to a "stuffed
God" that can be appealed to by anybody at any time.
The religious clown on the radio can break into his
fun and say, "Now we will have a minute of prayer." In the
religious concert, the
half-converted cowboy dressed like an idiot
will say after he's twanged out some catchy numbers, "Now
I'll do a holy number for you."

The God of today's Christianity is a weakling — a
little cheap, palsy God that you can pal around with. He's
"the man upstairs." He's the fellow that can help you when
you're in difficulty — and not bother you too much when
you're not.

It is a major tragedy in the life of any man, to live in a
church from childhood to old age with nothing more than some
synthetic God compounded of sentimentality and logic
— but having no eyes to see, no ears to hear and no heart to
love the holy God of Scripture!

In the majority of our church meetings, there is scarcely a
trace of reverent thought, little sense of the divine
Presence, no moment of stillness, no solemnity, no wonder,
no holy fear. But so often there is a dull or a breezy song
leader full of awkward jokes, in an effort to make
everything hold together.

The most pressing need just now is that we who call
ourselves Christians should frankly acknowledge to each
other and to God that we are gone far astray. We should
confess . . .
that we are worldly,
that our moral standards are low,
and that we are spiritually cold and lethargic.

We need to cease our multitude of unscriptural activities,
and cease trying to sanctify carnal and worldly projects by
promoting them "in the name of the Lord" and "for the glory
of God."

We need to return to the message, methods and
objectives of the New Testament!

We need boldly and indignantly to cleanse the temple of all
who sell cattle in the holy place, and overthrow
the tables of the money-changers! This must be done in our
own lives first — and then in the churches of whom we are a
part!

We need men and women who love the Savior, until adoration
becomes the music of their soul — until they don't have to
be fooled with entertainment and amusement!

When great sorrows came upon righteous Job, he did not
complain. There was no word of rebellion against God, when
messenger after messenger brought tidings of evil. All his
property lost, his servants slain, his sons dead! Yet the
good man did not sin, nor charge God foolishly. Dark and
mysterious was the painful visitation. Why sore
distress came to his house, and grievous sickness to himself
— he could not understand. But, out of the depths arose the
word of trust; in the midst of his woe, and pain, and
loneliness — the bereaved and sorely-stricken soul felt that
affliction was the Divine messenger. Job received
his burdens from the hand of God. "The Lord gave, and the
Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Job
1:21

We, for whose comfort Job's experience was written, know how
it was that the patriarch was afflicted. There was a purpose
to be fulfilled — an end to be brought about.
We learn that however mysterious our sufferings may be
— they are not sent without a wise and loving purpose. Afflictions
may be mysterious — but never purposeless.

Oh, for faith to realize that all my troubles come to me in
mercy! He cannot err — and He
cannot be unkind!

And as I read the Holy Scriptures, may I see how true this
verse is, "All whom the Lord loves, He chastens." So
may I learn to take up my cross — and to endure the trials
of my lot. And if I am to be an example of suffering
affliction — then may God's will be done — in His way — and
in His time!

From restlessness, and impatience, and doubts, and
selfishness — good Lord, deliver me!

Those Christians who belong to the Evangelical wing of the
Church have over the last half-century shown an increasing
impatience with invisible and eternal things — and have
demanded and gotten a host of visible and temporal things to
satisfy their fleshly appetites.

The temptation to introduce "new" things into the work of
God, has always been too strong for some people to resist.
The Church has suffered untold injury at the hands of
well-intentioned but misguided persons, who have felt that
they know more about running God's work, than Christ and His
apostles did! A solid train of boxcars would not suffice to
haul away the religious gimmicks which has been
brought into the service of the Church with the hope of
improving on the original pattern. These things have
been, one and all, great hindrances to the progress of the
Truth, and have so altered the divinely planned structure
that the apostles, were they to return to earth today, would
scarcely recognize the misshapen thing which has
resulted!

Every generation is sure to have its ambitious amateur to
come up with some shiny gadget which he proceeds to
urge upon the church. That the Scriptures do not justify its
existence — does not seem to bother him at all. It is
brought in anyway and presented in the very name of
orthodoxy. Soon it is identified in the minds of the
Christian public, with all that is good and holy. Then, of
course, to attack the gadget is to attack the Truth
itself. This is an old familiar technique so often and
so long practiced by the devotees of error, that I marvel
how the children of God can be taken in by it!

We of the evangelical faith are in the rather awkward
position of criticizing Roman Catholicism for its weight of
unscriptural impediments — and at the same time tolerating
in our own churches a world of religious fribble as
bad as holy water or the adored host. Heresy
of method may be as deadly as heresy of message!Evangelicalism has been smothered
to death by extra-Scriptural rubbish! Unless
we in gospel churches wake up soon, we shall most surely die
by the same means!

~
~ ~ ~

Behold the creeping worm!

(Thomas Guthrie, 1803-1873)

Behold the creeping worm
— it is bred in corruption — it crawls on the ground — its
food is the coarsest fare.

But in time, it undergoes its wonderful metamorphosis. The
wriggling caterpillar — becomes a winged and painted
butterfly! And at this change, along with its old skin — it
casts off its old habits and instincts. Now, it has a will
as well as wings to fly. Now . . .
its bed is the bosom of a flower,
its food is the honeyed nectar,
its home is the sunny air, and
new instincts animate its frame.
The change within, corresponds to the change without.
It now spurns the ground — and, as you may gather from its
merry, mazy dance — the creature is happy, and delights in
the new duties which it is called to perform.

Just so it is in that change which grace works in
sinners!
Their nature is now so accommodated to their
redeemed state,
their wishes are so fitted to their wants,
their hopes are so fitted to their prospects,
their aspirations are so fitted to their honors,
and their will is so fitted to their work —
that they would be less content to return to their old
polluted pleasures — than the beautiful butterfly would
desire to be stripped of its silken wings, and condemned to
pass its days amid the old, foul garbage, its former food!